This book wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t great, hence the two-star review. I didn’t hate it, since I finished it, but it was a bit of a push to. It helped that it was short so it didn’t take me long to finish it.

While it started off promising it soon derailed. I feel the pacing was too fast for the period the story was set in, and that Nathaniel accepted Olivia’s affair proposal much too quickly for a gentleman of the time. If he were a rake, I would understand but he was not. Him not being a rake was one of the reasons that Olivia chose him. Although, society would have dictated him informing her parents right away of her proposal to him so there is that to contend with. He didn’t put up much of a fight on this or any of the decisions at all. In fact, he severely lacked a spine in all things which was a bit disheartening to read. I don’t want an alpha male of the 1970’s variety but I do need one who isn’t such a jelly fish.

Likewise, while I initially admired Olivia thinking for herself and flouting social norms by the end I could barely tolerate her. She came across as bratty and selfish and not endearing at all or grateful for anything that people did or were willing to do for her. And she did seem contradictory in not wanting to be an embarrassment to her family or bring scandal on them, but was perfectly okay with propositioning a man for an affair roughly five minutes after meeting him. The fit she threw about her family going to the trouble of getting her published in a magazine and her level of under appreciation was staggering. I get it wasn’t as polished as she wanted it but still they had to go to some trouble to get it done and it wouldn’t have killed her to say thank you.

A few other reviews mentioned that it seemed too ‘modern’ and I do agree with that but it was forgivable for the most part. There were some social situations that wouldn’t have happened or missteps that couldn’t be ignored but then the general premise required a major suspension of belief. There was some questionable verbiage (the use of the word ‘grounding’ is the one that readily comes to mind) as well but I’m chalking that up to this being the first book in the series and perhaps by the author so I expected a bit rockiness.

I wanted the HEA because it’s a romance novel and I am one of those that feels there always needs to have one. However, I also felt Nathaniel deserved one after dealing with all that asinine nonsense that was Olivia. I really don’t say this about a lot of books, at least not as much as other reviews I’ve seen, but I’m really glad I got this for free as well as the rest of the series. Hopefully the other heroes have more of a backbone and the heroines are not educated twits, and are both more sympathetic and endearing characters.